Blossom on Ice - Figure Skating. Interviews

September 21, 2024September 21, 2024

Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov: “We Just Clicked from the First Practice”

On September 14th and 15th, Russia’s national figure skating team held open test skates at the Yubileyny Ice Arena in St. Petersburg. As usual, the skaters debuted the programs they’ll be performing in the new competitive season.

For the ice dance duo of Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov, this was their first appearance as an official pair in a competitive setting. Last season, they performed together in the “Russian Challenge” show and in Ilya Averbukh’s ice show. While the test skates aren’t scored with placements, the programs are judged under ISU rules, and both skaters and coaches receive feedback from judges.

After their rhythm dance, Vasilisa and Maxim shared their thoughts in the mixed zone.

Your first time skating together in an almost competitive atmosphere as a new team. How did it feel?

Vasilisa:

Oh, I’ve said this a lot today, but I’ll say it again—it was really nerve-wracking! Our biggest challenge was to fight through the nerves. A year off is a long time, and we wanted to show everything we’ve worked on during that break. Overall, we’re happy with our skate. We know what we need to improve, and we’ll keep building from here.

September 19, 2024September 21, 2024

Makar Ignatov: “Two People in a Family Is Hard Enough”

The 2024-2025 Russian figure skating season is kicking off, as usual, with test skates. This year, they’re taking place at the Yubileyny Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, where the Russian national team skaters are presenting their new programs to judges and fans alike.

It’s been quite an eventful offseason for the 2021 Russian Championship silver medalist and multiple-time national and international medalist Makar Ignatov. After skating his short program, he talked with journalists about the changes in both his personal and professional life.

Newly married and with a new coaching team – how are these changes impacting you, your skating, and your programs?

Well, yeah, they definitely are. It’d be silly to say everything stayed the same. There have been a lot of changes, and changes always push you forward, take you out of your comfort zone. I believe standing still is the same as going backwards, so I’m always looking to move ahead.

How do you feel about today’s performance?

My jumps were solid, but my skating… (pauses). I liked how I started, but then I faded a bit. It’s just nerves – this was my first public skate of the season. It’s not an official competition, but there’s still a level of responsibility you feel. Overall, I’d rate myself around a 6 or 7 out of 10.

We have to ask about your new hairstyle.

I’ve been wanting to try something different for a while. It just so happened that Sasha was getting her hair done, and I thought, “Why not? I want to do it too.” So I said, “Let’s go together!” And, well, we did (laughs).

September 18, 2024September 21, 2024

Sofia Muravieva: “It’s Easier to Stay in Shape Than to Regain It”

The 2024-2025 Russian figure skating season traditionally kicked off with the test skates, which took place this weekend in Saint Petersburg at the “Yubileyny” Ice Arena. The skaters presented their programs to the audience and received valuable feedback from judges and technical specialists.

Russian Championships silver and bronze medalist Sofia Muravieva chose an unusual concept for this season with her coaching team and choreographers – her short program portrays Odile, while the free skate represents Odette, creating a beautiful story on the ice. After her free skate performance, the skater shared her thoughts with journalists in the mixed zone.

Of course, I’m not happy with the skate. I’m currently not in my best shape. There were rumors about my health on the internet – I won’t address that topic, I’ll keep it to myself. Health and training processes are personal; everyone has their own nuances. I just tried to enjoy the skate regardless of the jumps.

You have very beautiful costumes in both programs.

This costume (points to it) was sewn by a different seamstress than usual, and it turned out very heavy. In the end, my mom spent a long time removing all the rhinestones, and now I have a whole box of them (laughs). But the costume is still too heavy, we’ll have to remove more rhinestones. The thing is, this seamstress sews for gymnasts, and for them, the weight doesn’t matter since they don’t jump. It’s LANA, Svetlana Gerasimova’s workshop.